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"Reformers have for years recommended that all forensic labs be independent from law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies' and this is a key reform promoted by The Justice Project (2008). But fixing these problems is only half the answer' because half of the wrongful convictions attributed to misleading forensic evidence involved deliberate forensic fraud' evidence tampering' and/or perjury.
From "The Elephant in the Crime Lab," by co-authored by Sheila Berry and Larry Ytuarte; Forensic Examiner; Spring, 2009;
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"Following a BuzzFeed News investigation
into a retired Chicago police detective accused of framing at least 51
people for murder, several Chicago community groups are demanding the
immediate release of a man who has been held in prison for 23 years,
despite having five alibi witnesses for the night he was accused of
committing murder. Roberto Almodovar, 42, was convicted in
1995 on the testimony of two witnesses. One of those witnesses later
recanted and swore under oath that Det. Reynaldo Guevara showed him pictures
of Almodovar before the lineup, a breach of police protocol. Five
people swear Almodovar was with them at the time of the crime. A city investigation
in 2015 found that he is more than likely innocent. But to date, the
Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office has fought to keep him locked up.
His next court hearing is Monday, April 10. Almodovar needs “to be
freed,” said Aislinn Pulley, a Black Lives Matter Chicago organizer,
who also called for other Guevara defendants to be released pending a
full review. “And they need to be compensated for the years that have
been taken from them,” she added. The BuzzFeed News investigation
found that Guevara has been accused of manipulating lineups and coercing
confessions in dozens of cases from the 1980s to the 2000s. Guevara has
never been formally charged with wrongdoing, and a city investigation
into the detective found no widespread pattern of misconduct, although
it did conclude that four Guevara defendants still in prison were more than likely innocent, and that Guevara had likely committed misconduct in at least two cases. Guevara,
now retired and receiving a full pension, declined repeated requests
for comment. His attorney did not immediately respond to a message
seeking comment. They could not be reached Wednesday. In the last 17
years, at least five Guevara defendants have been exonerated, and
several have received large payouts from the city. The
BuzzFeed News investigation also found that top Chicago officials,
including the mayor’s office and the state’s attorney’s office, had
numerous warnings about Guevara, and plenty of chances to investigate
the injustices he stands accused of committing but largely failed to
take action......... “What
happened to Robert Almodovar is appalling but unfortunately common in
Chicago,” said state Sen. Omar Aquino, adding that to address such
problems, he is backing a measure to extend the statute of limitations for victims of police abuse and coerced confessions. “The case of Robert Almodovar illustrates why it is important to continue to work for justice.”........Pulley, of Black Lives Matter
Chicago, noted that what was most extraordinary about Almodovar’s story
was perhaps just how ordinary it is. “None of this shocking. What’s frustrating is how normal it is.”"
https://www.buzzfeed.com/melissasegura/activists-call-for-release-of-man-locked-up-despite?utm_term=.wyBw1VRNw#.xgv7rAyP
https://www.buzzfeed.com/melissasegura/activists-call-for-release-of-man-locked-up-despite?utm_term=.wyBw1VRNw#.xgv7rAyP
